The Department of Trade and Industry Central Visayas Office (DTI-7) recently released to the media a list of helmet brands issued the ICC Mark by the agency.To recall, Congress promulgated Republic Act 10054 otherwise known as
Motorcycle Helmet Act in 2009 requiring all motorcycle riders, including drivers and back riders to wear standard protective motorcycle helmets or those that have a PS license or ICC mark at all times while driving, whether long or short drives, in any type of road and highway.
The DTI, through the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS), is tasked to conduct a mandatory testing of all manufactured and imported motorcycle helmets in the Philippines and shall issue periodically a list of motorcycle helmet manufacturers and importers and the brands which pass the standards of the BPS to be published in a newspaper of general circulation or in its website.
The BPS has issued an ICC Mark to the following brands of helmet as of 2009-2012: 2, AGV, AINON, AM, AXA, BEN-2, BIO / H, CABERG, CARTING, GDR, GPX, HF, HJC, HNJ, HONGYING BIO, HPH, INDEX, KBC, KOR, LEV3, MRC, NEXX, NOLAN, POSH, POWERCYCLE, SHOEI, SNELL, SOL, SPACE CROWN, SPYDER, TANKED, TRANSCYCLE, VCAN, VOLTZ, XPOT, EXSOL, YAMAHA, YEMA, ZEBRA, ZEUS. This list can be found at the BPS Portal - http://www.bps.dti.gov.ph/Any person caught not wearing the standard protective motorcycle helmet
and those who use, sell and distribute substandard motorcycle helmets shall be penalized according to law.
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Many of these brands previously allowed to be imported are non-UN ECE R22 standard helmets. CANN WE CLARIFY FROM DTI BPS CENTRAL OFFICE in Makati if indeed, these brands are still allowed to be imported?
ReplyDeleteif yes, then it violates R.A. 10054 which took effect in January 2012. The law provides only one standard: PNS UNECE R22: 2005. The law also provides a six month information and education campaign. It does not provide for BPS to still allow importation of the same brands which are not PNS UNECE R22:2005 compliant.
What happaens now to those who bought their helmets which were still allowed by BPS but are not compliant? THis exactly is the root cause of the confusion among traffic enforcers and the motorcycle riders. What makes it worse is when DTI R7 issued a list of helmet brands which are issued ICC mark but did not clarify that these are not compliant with PNS UNECE R22:2005.
ReplyDeleteI hope BPS rectifies this issuance and make clarification on the following:
1. Whether those imported and bought by consumers after the law was passed and took effect last January 2012 are still allowed to be used. PNP AND LTO MUST BE NOTIFIED ON THIS ISSUE
2. Is it the brand, the importer or the standard that matters and how to distinguish a genuine ICC mark.
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